Mississippi’s General Election Day is here with Tuesday’s ballot set to feature statewide, state district, county, and county district offices.
To make navigating the voting process as easy as possible, Secretary of State Michael Watson has provided the following election-day reminders:
- Mail-In Absentee Voting Deadline: All mail-in absentee ballots must be postmarked by November 7 and received by county Circuit Clerk Offices by November 15 to count.
- Voter ID Affidavit Ballot Deadline: Voters who cast an affidavit ballot by reason of voter ID must present an acceptable form of photo ID to their Circuit Clerk’s Office by November 15.
- Polling Place Location: Visit the polling place locator on the My Election Day portal, or contact your county Circuit Clerk’s Office or local Election Commissioners to verify your polling place.
- Voter Photo ID: Voters are required to show photo identification at the polls. A voter without an acceptable form of photo identification is entitled to cast an affidavit ballot.
- Campaigning: It is unlawful to campaign for any candidate within 150 feet of any entrance to a polling place, unless on private property.
- Loitering: The polling places should be clear 30 feet from every entrance of all people except election officials, voters waiting to vote, or authorized poll watchers.
- Camera Phones: Voters are prohibited from taking pictures of their marked ballot.
At this time, approximately 62,000 absentee ballots have been requested throughout Mississippi, according to the Statewide Election Management System (SEMS). As of Monday, 56,403 of those had already been filled out and received for the upcoming statewide elections.
The most recent SEMS report stated that the number of absentee ballots requested reflects the number of Mississippi voters that asked for a ballot through their local circuit clerk’s office while the received total shows the number of completed ballots that were returned.
In-person voting will open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 7:00 p.m. on Election Day, but any voter in line at the closing of the polls is legally entitled to cast a ballot.
Problems at the polls observed by state observers or otherwise reported to the Elections Division will be referred to the authorities, including the Attorney General’s Office or the appropriate District Attorney’s Office.
My Election Day Tool
Secretary of State Michael Watson has also released that residents voting in person with an absentee ballot can receive personalized election information through the My Election Day resource.
Upon entering a specific address, Mississippi voters can receive a sample ballot specific to their residence, polling place location, deadlines for upcoming elections, and a list of the current elected officials from federal down to county. Absentee and affidavit ballot tracking is another feature available on My Election Day, not only as a resource for Mississippians but as an additional election security measure.
For those eligible to vote, each step of the process may be monitored from the time the application has been received to what happens with the ballot after Election Day.
To keep up with the latest election results here in Mississippi, tune in to one of the over 45 stations across the state that carries SuperTalk Mississippi News.
